2007, can you believe it? Happy New Year to you all. I wish everyone a happy and healthy year and I look forward to spending time getting to know all my online friends better.

Thought I'd pick up where I left off in the last post and keep going with my year in review.

October: October was a rough month. Constant struggles with the oldest child.  Josh is hanging with some "bad" kids and school isn't an issue to him in any way. He just doesn't go and basically is screwing himself this sememster. It doesn't matter what we do, he just doesn't go to school. I have no idea what he's doing with his time. Just hanging out with his friends I guess. Everyday its calls from the school and fights going on when I get home in the evening. I have to wait till the end of November before I can put in for a shift change at work and be home in the evenings. Every day is so stressful. I think I had a headache every day this month! We had several birthdays this month. My dad, my son, my husband, my grandmother and my nephew.

November: Things can't get any worse I thought. Boy was I wrong! November was the worst month this year. Josh turned 17 and things went downhill from there. He's still not going to school and has now thrown the semester away. There is no way he will manage to get any of his credits at this point. He's smoking and hanging out with his friends all day. We were at a loss with what to do. We gave him the choice to get it together at school or go get a job until the next semester starts. He didn't like those choices so he left home. Maybe he'll learn how tough the "real world" is right? Wrong! A friend of his asked if Josh could live at their house and the mother said yes! Who knows what he told them but they have no problem with him living there, feeding him and giving him money. Now he thinks life is just grand. He has it just how he wants it. Doesn't have to follow our rules or earn his money. How great for him! What a moron this woman is who took him in. The kid just turned 17 and she doesn't have the decency to even call us and say he is staying there. Nothing! I'm so stressed and upset everyday. It was a couple of weeks before we heard anything from him and he just acts as if nothing has happened. Why don't we go get him you ask? Because here in Ontario if he wants to leave at 17 he's entitled to do that. If he breaks the law however, we're still held accountable. Nice huh?

On November 27, just 2 days after his 46th birthday, my husbands brother-in-law was killed in Afghanastan. CWO Robert Girouard. We were heartbroken to hear the devastating news. He had just returned after spending an early Christmas at home with his family. He was due to return in February when he planned to retire. He was a very well liked, well respected soldier who touched the lives of many soldiers and their families all across this country and beyond. He will be missed by so many. Rest in Peace Bobby.

December: The beginning of December was a blur. Between the Repatriation ceremony for Bob and travelling to Petawawa for the memorial service, the first week of December was gone before we could blink. Unfortunatley the circumstances were the worst I could imagine, but it was nice to see my husbands family after being away for so long.

By the middle of the month we finally got our Christmas decorating done! Then it became a whirlwind of Christmas activities at school, cadets and work. Mom and Dad came to visit for a few days before Christmas. My grandmother has taken ill and went to the hospital just days before Christmas. She had a stroke while she was there and sadly they don't think she'll make it much longer. She turned 96 in October!  They decided to go down east the day after Christmas so they could see her. By the end of the month all 13 of her children were there by her side. Although she's not very responsive, I'm sure she was thrilled to have all the kids there together.

That pretty much sums up the year. My goal this year is to write in this journal more often. I hope you'll all stop by and see whats new in my world.

Wishing all my family and friends a New Year filled with good health and happiness. Until next time, take care everyone